Rule the Stars
by AnitaHoward
Summary: A blue box, a little cafe, and the end of the universe. How could she resist? The story of how Lucy met the Master. COMPLETE.
1. Madman From a Box

**Chapter One  
Madman from a Box**

Lucy had been fairly ordinary, as she knew perfectly well. She was pretty and came from a well-to-do family, and she had a good job as an interior decorating consultant. Or she had been ordinary. Now, standing on top of the world with Harold Saxon and watching the Toclafane pour out of the sky, she knew she was anything but.

"Harry, I'm so proud of you!" she whispered, running her hand along his arm. He smiled down at her and then kissed her on the mouth.

"It's all ours," he said. "This whole world... all the worlds. We'll rule them together."

It was the same thing he had said, the first time he took her across the universe, across time itself. Oh, how she remembered that day...

She heard a strange sound, one she couldn't place, as she unlocked her car. A whirring, engine like noise, and then a muffled bang. Looking around, she saw a blue box; smoke was coming out of it. The door opened and a man stumbled out, coughing and cursing. He kicked the box and looked around; then a smile settled on his face and he laughed. It wasn't an infectious laugh, but more of a triumphant one. Lucy looked at him wide-eyed. Then he saw her.

"Hello," he said, coming towards her. She wondered if she should be alarmed; but he was smiling and looked friendly enough.

"Hello," replied Lucy. "I'm Lucy Redward. What's that box?"

"Harold. Harold Saxon." He held out his hand. "I'm Harold Saxon, by the way. Not the box. I mean, I'm not the box. Or, no wait, the box isn't me..." his face went white and he stumbled forward. He would have fallen if he hadn't caught himself on her car.

"Are you alright, Mr. Saxon?" she asked.

"Yeah... yeah, fine, just... disoriented. I'd forgotten how it feels, regeneration and Tardis travel and..." he cut off suddenly and went into a spasm, clinging to the car door. Lucy looked around wildly and dug in her purse.

"I'm calling the hospital," she said. "You need help."

"No no no no!" he straightened and looked fairly normal again. "Don't do that. Don't you ever do... _that_."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to become Prime Minister!"

_He's really messed up._ "Well, if you're sure everything is fine..."

"It is. I am. I is. It am." Again he stopped short. "Sorry." He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Still getting used to everything. It's been a long time since this happened."

"So this is normal?"

"Perfectly normal, it will stop after a while. What I need is food. Do you have food anywhere?"  
"We're in the middle of London..."

"Right, I know, I know. Take me to a place where I can get food. Hurry it up!"

He slid into the passenger's seat and stared at her with an almost wild look in his eyes; then the look was gone, replaced by a charming smile. He began to drum his fingers on the dashboard. "Come on, Lucy."

"Ms. Redward," she corrected lamely.

"Ah, single are we?"

"All right, I'll get you to a restaurant."

She got behind the wheel and drove without looking at him. He didn't talk, or do much of anything, until she stopped at a small cafe.

"Perfect," he said. "I've got to eat. That'll make me feel better. Eat. Ate. Eaten. Aten... no, that's not right. Will eat. Have eaten. I ate. He ate. She ate. They ate... Ow!"

He got out, pale and shaking, and stumbled like a drunk to the cafe. Once inside, he ordered a heaping plate of spaghetti and eight pieces of toast, which he proceeded to devour right in front of her. She watched in astonished silence until he was scooping up the last bit of sauce onto the last bite of bread. Then he sat back and sighed.

"There. I feel almost right again. You, _Ms. _Redward, are a lifesaver."

She just stared at him.

"Strange first date, eh?"

"Date?"

"I've got a better one planned." He drummed his fingers absently on the table, _tap tap taptap. Tap tap taptap._ "Meet me back here tonight at ten."

"What?"

"For a date. You and me. Handsome man and pretty woman. Go on, you know you want to!"

"Where will you take me?"

"Oh, Lucy, farther than you could imagine." He leaned forward and whispered, "To the end of the universe." _Tap tap taptap. Tap tap taptap._

"Well, then," Lucy leaned back. "If you insist on being mysterious. My life has been far too dull; spice it up for me. I'll be back at ten."

"Oh, you bet you will." He looked into her eyes, and too late she saw what he was going to do. His lips met hers and his hand was at the back of her neck. A shock, almost electric, went through her and she jerked back. "You wouldn't dare disappoint me."


	2. The Beginning at the End

**Chapter Two**

**The Beginning at the End**

"Lucy? Lucy, are you there? This is Kate. You were supposed to be at the banquet an hour ago. Nate is driving over right now to check on you."

Lucy listened as the answering machine clicked at the end of the message. So Nate was coming. Well, he wouldn't find her here. Just fifteen minutes and she would be meeting Harold Saxon in a tiny cafe, and she knew that something amazing would happen after that. She touched up her make-up and tucked in stray tendrils of hair, then did a little twirl in front of the mirror. Her dark blue dress, trimmed in red, set off her blond hair. Delicate pearl earrings dangled from her ears, Christmas gifts from Nate.

"Goodbye, boring Nate," she laughed. "Hello, Harold Saxon."

She checked her watch and then headed for the door.

The cafe was dark when she arrived, and she looked around for a minute before getting out of the car.

"Mr. Saxon? Are you there?" she called in a low voice. "Mr. Saxon?"

There was silence. The street itself was deserted, and the only light came from a dim street lamp. Lucy shivered and started to turn back and get back in her vehicle. "Mr. Saxon?" she called once more.

"Please, call me Harry."

Her heart gave a sharp lurch at the voice, which had come from directly behind her. A hand was laid on her shoulder and he turned her around. "Ah, Lucy, there you are."

"Mr... Saxon!" she gasped. "I mean... Harry."

He smiled and said in a silky smooth voice, "Are you ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"I told you. The end of the universe."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Get in the car. Take me back to where you met me earlier."

When they got there, Harry jumped out, took her hand, and led her to the blue box. He unlocked the door and peered inside.

"Blast that Doctor," he muttered. Then he stepped in. "Are you coming?"

"I don't understand..." Lucy began.

"Of course you don't, you humans. But come in and see!"

"Am I safe?"

"Of course you are. It's been stabilized. I've got control."

"No, I mean, am I safe with you? I don't exactly know who you are."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the box. "I am the Master," he whispered. "You aren't safe with me, but I can take you home now and you can go back to your life as if nothing had ever happened: safe, bored, law-abiding. Is _that_ what you want?"

She stepped back with a small shriek as she saw where she was. A huge room, lit with a blue light, humming and beeping and so _alive_.

"Welcome to my Tardis, Lucy," said Harry, letting go of her. "I'm going to take you to the end of the universe like I said. I want you to meet my friends."

Lucy put her hand over her mouth, gasping and trying to speak. Harry did not wait for a reply but went to the center of the room and began turning dials, pulling levers, pushing buttons, fiddling with switches. The sound she had heard earlier that day began again, and suddenly she made her choice. She lunged for the door and tried to open it, but she heard that disquieting laugh again.

"It's locked, Lucy! You can't run away now."

Suddenly the Tardis gave a lurch and Lucy lost her balance.

"Oh, did I not mention?" Harry laughed again. "Hold on tight!"

She pulled herself up and clung to a metal projection on the wall. "What's happening?"

"Time travel, Lucy. Time travel!"

Her head spun and she felt like she was going to be sick. "You're insane, Harold Saxon!" she screamed. "Let me out!"  
He said nothing, just kept looking at her with that smile on his face. For two minutes the Tardis rocked and swayed and then it settled down.

"We've arrived, Lucy." Harry jumped down the steps and took her hand. "Let's see what we see."

He opened the door and they looked outside into a dark place, with a howling wind blowing in their faces but no other noise.


	3. The First Paradox

**Chapter Three**

**The First Paradox**

Lucy reeled, clutching at Harry's arm. Impossible!

"Where are..."

"Hush!" Saxon put a finger to his lips. "Listen!"

They were very quiet, and for a long time they heard nothing. But then Lucy heard a horrible sound, almost like wild animals but with a human quality to it. Harold Saxon looked around and said,

"Of course. Of course!" He ground his teeth together and clenched his hand around Lucy's fingers until she gave a little gasp of pain. "Well, then, we haven't much time. We'll play Doctor for a bit. Run!"

And Lucy found herself stumbling along, still hand in hand with him, while the noise came behind. They ran until the headlights of a truck appeared as it came over a ridge. Harry looked back once and then began to yell and wave his arms.

"Over here! Hey, over here!"

The truck rumbled to a stop beside them and the window was rolled down a bit.

"Show me your teeth!" the driver commanded, aiming a pistol at them.

Harry and Lucy both grinned widely as the man in the passenger seat shone his flashlight on them.

"All right, hop in. Hurry up!"

"Wait," said Harry. "My... transport is back there just a little ways. I want you to pick it up. It's not working properly; I need to get it to some place where I can fix it."

Lucy's heart, which had just begun to calm down a bit, began to pound furiously. "You mean we're stuck here? What kind of a date is this?"

Harold Saxon did not even deign to acknowledge her words. He leaned forward in his seat, looking ahead into the darkness. In that moment Lucy despised him and wished heartily that she was with Nate at the banquet, listening to dull speeches and consuming large amounts of food and wine.

After loading the Tardis onto the truck as quickly as possible, which was a rather difficult job, they turned around and headed in the opposite direction for about fifteen minutes. Then, up ahead, Lucy saw what looked like a prison. It was enclosed by a high fence which was topped with barbed wire. A few dim lights showed the guards inside, both with machine guns. Lucy swallowed nervously as the gates were opened just enough to let the truck through.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"Basically a refugee camp," replied Harry, breaking the silence at last. "Professor Yana is in charge; he's going to launch a rocket which will send everyone here to a better world: Utopia."

As he stepped out of the truck, with Lucy following, a man walked towards them.

"The new arrivals," he said. "Your names, please?"

"I'm Harold Saxon. This is Lucy Redward."

"And what've you got in the truck?"

"Oh, that's my ship. It needs repairs."

"Professor Yana can help you with that," said the man.

"Oh, I'm sure he could," Harry replied with a strange laugh. "But I'm perfectly capable of taking care of it myself."

"Won't you come into the compound, then?" The man gave orders to the truck drivers and then walked ahead of them into the building.

Lucy looked around in astonishment. There were hundreds of people crammed into the compound, most of them going about some business or other. Even the children seemed to be doing as much as anyone. A boy about ten years old came up to them.

"This way, please," he said. "It's just mealtime, you'll want to take your place in the queue."

They followed him into a large room filled with four lines of people. Steam and the smell of soup filled the air.

"I'm not waiting at the back," said Harry. "Come along."

He grasped her wrist and pushed his way forward despite the protests of those in line. He finally stopped when just one person separated them from the front. "That's how you do it," he said, smiling at her. "It's only silly people who wait their turn. And the Master never waits. See?" They were now at the serving table. A man handed them each a bowl, into which he ladled the soup, then he gave them each a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of water. Harry began to walk away. Lucy leaned forward and whispered, "Thanks!" before quickly following him. They sat down on a bench and ate in silence. The food was of very low quality; Lucy, who had grown up in an affluent family, thought it was horrible but said nothing. Harry simply wolfed it down in one minute flat.

"Now to see this Professor Yana," he said. "Let's go."

They found a guard, who spoke into an intercom, "Professor, the newcomers want to see you."

"Send them up," came the reply.

The guard led them through the compound to a room which looked to Lucy like some sort of control room. An elderly man, perhaps close to seventy, was leaning over a panel covered in switches and dials.

"Ah, hello," he said. "I was wondering when you would come up. I don't suppose either of you knows anything about science?"

"No, not really," said Lucy. She held out her hand and the Professor shook it warmly. "I'm Lucy."

"And I'm Professor Yana," he replied. "Wonderful to meet you! And you..." he looked Harry up and down for a moment.

"I'm Harold Saxon."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Saxon. Do you think you would be able to help me?"

Lucy expected him to say that he could, but Harry said very quickly, almost too quickly, "No, I'm afraid not. Never seen anything like this setup in my life."

"Ah, very well," sighed the Professor. "I was afraid of that. Well, then, if you'll excuse me I must get back to my work."


	4. Conqueror

**Note: I see a bunch of people on here have used the surname Cole for Lucy's maiden name. I haven't been able to find that as a 'canon' name, so I'll stick with the one I came up with previously unless someone can provide me with evidence :) Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter Four**

**Conqueror**

Harry and Lucy left the control room and stood outside the door. Harry laughed quietly to himself.

"Oh, Doctor, you've done everything wrong this time," he muttered.

"OK, Harry," said Lucy. "I want some answers. _Now_. I think I'm entitled to them, don't you think?"  
"Oh? Why?"

"Well, you dragged me out of my world, out of my time, to a refugee camp where apparently it's so bad that they're trying to escape to some nebulous utopia."

"You agreed to come. I don't owe you anything, _Ms._ Redward. But ask anyway. I might just answer your questions."  
"Well, then, first of all: why do you keep talking to a doctor that I can't see? Are you talking to yourself?"  
"Oh, good gracious, no!" Harry looked offended. "Myself, indeed. No, the Doctor is my worst enemy. The Tardis is actually his; I stole it from him. I'm not exactly talking to him. Well, I am, but he can't hear me. You would have to understand quite a lot of history to understand, but basically... well, let's start from a beginning point that isn't too far away."

He led her down a corridor and into a place where benches were ranged along the wall. "Sit. This might take a while."

"Alright, basically, I'm a genius."

"But you told the Professor you couldn't help him."

"I lied. Duh! Which brings us to another point: I am Professor Yana. Now, hold that look, Lucy. Stop acting like I'm insane. Well, all right, maybe I am. But I am totally serious. That's me: the past me."  
"But you look completely different. You're younger, you're... different."

"I'm a Timelord. That means I live for a very long time, and I can change if I'm about to die. Which I did very recently. It also means I am extremely powerful, especially with a Tardis in my hands."

Lucy laughed nervously. "So, should that worry me?"

"Oh, yes, Lucy. It should worry you a great deal. It should worry you enough to keep you from interfering."

"So, the Doctor. Why is he called that?"

"Who knows? I guess he liked the sound of it: the man who makes people better. He's forever running about the universe, pretending to save everyone and everything. But at the end of the day, running is all he ever does. He's a coward; he can't bear to look back and see the consequences of what he's done. We're both Timelords, but he seems to forget the 'lord' part. That's what makes him and me so very different: I am the Master. I rule and I conquer." He looked very hard at her. "And you are going to be at my side when the universe is mine."

Lucy paled. She couldn't seem to look away from those hypnotic eyes. "Why... why me?"

"Just because I can. I could have anyone in the whole universe as my wife, and here you are."

"Your... w-wife?" she stammered.

"You humans are so blasted thick!" Harry leaned forward and kissed her hard. "Yes, my wife. Lucy Saxon. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Get it, ring? As in, engagement ring? Wedding ring?"

She pulled away from him. "I don't think so."

"I _do_ think so, Lucy my dear." He put his hand in his pocket and brought out a ring. "I bought it earlier this afternoon several billion years ago. As soon as we get back we'll have a wedding."

"You've got to be kidding me." Lucy's heart raced and she felt sick. How had she ever gotten herself into this?

"Remember what I said," Harry continued. "Don't interfere. That also means, do what I say. Hold out your hand."

He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her again.

And in that moment, Lucy Redward was really and truly afraid.

**A/N  
Constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	5. The Paradox Machine

**A/N: So why does the Master tell Lucy so much in such a short time, when it's like pulling teeth for the Doctor to give the same information to his companions? The reason is that Harry wants Lucy fully under his sway; he wants her to be completely in his confidence (or think she is) and to poison her against the Doctor in case she meets him when Harry isn't around.**

**Constructive criticism is always welcome :)**

**Chapter Five**

**The Paradox Machine**

Harold Saxon got up.

"Does that satisfy your curiosity for now?" he asked.

Lucy nodded. She couldn't trust her voice at the moment.

"Good!" Harry rubbed his hands together. "Then I have some work to do. First, we need to get them to give us some clothing like they're wearing. Otherwise, when the Doctor comes, we will be the first people he notices and that would not be good. After that, I'm going to work on the Tardis. Try not to attract attention to yourself."

Half an hour later, they were attired in drab clothing. Lucy had a hat on to hide her blond hair. She hung around Harry, not wanting to be with him but too shy of all the refugees.

"Oh, go on," he said. "I can't have you in the way." He started to walk away, but then stopped and cursed in anger. Lucy drew back, but he was not looking at her. He brushed past her and began almost running. She went after him until he met a guard.

"That blue box," said Harry. "You know the one?"

"Yes."

"Er, let's keep it a secret, eh? If someone else comes along with a blue box like it, then pretend you've never seen one before."

"I'm not sure I…"

"Just do it, all right? I have my reasons. And best not mention Lucy or me either. Can you do that?"

"I suppose so."

Harry still seemed nervous. "If I can just get it working," he muttered. "Then I won't have to worry about paradoxes and other annoying things like that."

Lucy didn't see him again until the next morning. He came to breakfast disheveled and very moody.

"I'd forgotten how much I hated this place," he said. "Oh, I'll be glad to get away from all these gloomy people and my horrible former self; what a nuisance he was!"

"How can you dislike yourself?" asked Lucy, curiosity getting the better of her determination to have as little to do with him as possible.

Harry looked like he was about to tell her to shut up, but then he sighed. "It's another thing Time Lords can do: we can change into humans to protect ourselves. Professor Yana is human, and very different from myself. He's quite a lot like the Doctor, curse him! No idea how _that_ happened. He was even going to sacrifice himself for all these pathetic people by staying behind so he could launch the rocket. The idiot!"

"Harry," Lucy said, laying a hand timidly on his arm. "Calm down." She didn't know why she did it; surely it wouldn't have any effect on the Master of time and space. But, surprisingly, his face softened a bit and he looked at her with all the anger gone out of his eyes. It was a curious trait about him, as she would later realize: that he could change from mood to mood with the blink of an eye, and yet each mood was as sincere as the last.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," he said. "Long night and all that. And the Doctor is coming today! As much as I hate him, he's the only reason I was able to get out of this place and meet you. Now, I want to stress the importance of staying out of his way… and the out of the way of his companions, too. A dark-skinned girl called Martha, and some superhero named Jac. Don't talk to them, don't' even look at them. Can't have things slippng out."

"All right, but… look here, Harry." Lucy paushed, trying to say it just right. "I couldn't sleep last night. I kept thinking about all this stuff. Has this happened before? I mean, when you were Professor Yana, did Harold Saxon and… me, Lucy, come up and talk to him… you? Is time on a loop like that? Can we get out of the time loop?"

"Oh, well, hmmm…" said Harry. "Now that you mention it, I do remember us talking to me. But it was such a small thing, seeing as we couldn't be of any help, that I thought nothing of it when I was the Professor, I had bigger things on my mind: saving the world, for instance. Ugh, that's something the Doctor would say." He spat, as if to get all traces of the words out of his mouth. "So, yes, time is on an infinite loop in this place and time. But we're not stuck on it. You see, time isn't linear. It progresses in a definite order, but it also doesn't. I came into your time from Yana's future, but it's the past for Martha Jones. She' probably seen me on TV. For her I might already be Prime Minister. For us, none of it's happened yet. For Professor Yana, he doesn't even know he's a Time Lord, and he won't until later today. Yet here I am, regenerated and in my own past."

Lucy blinked rapidly. "Er…"

"Anyways, come and see the Tardis. I've done a bit of tinkering with it. The Doctor thinks he's so clever, but then so am I. I remember one time, ages ago. Back when we were children…" his voice dropped to a mutter as if he had forgotten she was there and was talking to himself.

When they entered the Tardis, Lucy stepped back a bit. The blue light of the console room was gone, replaced by an eerie, cheerless, red. Lucy decided she didn't like it.

"What did you do?" she asked, trying to keep an accusatory tone out of her voice.

"It's in the process of becoming a paradox machine. Look over there." He pointed to the console, and Lucy could see a faint blue light still coming from it. "It will still function as a Tardis for a while. Long enough." He smiled. "What do you think?"

"I… think I liked blue better."

"Red will grow on you," he said. "Blue is too… tame. Too quiet and peaceful." He waited for a long minute and Lucy was quiet. Finally he grew impatient. "Well, go on! Ask!"

"Ask what?"

Frustration was evident in his voice. "Ask me what a paradox machine is."

"What's a paradox machine?" Might as well humor him, but she had at least a sort-of idea what it was.

"It means that we can create paradoxes without consequences. Once it's fully finished, you could kill your own grandparents before you parents were born, and you would still exist."

"That's horrible," murmured Lucy.

"Of course, it will render the Tardis useless as a time-and-space machine, but who cares? As soon as we get back to your time it won't matter anymore. We'll rule the world, Lucy!"

She thought he was being rather nonchalant about ruining such a magnificent ship. "I… would like to travel more, in time and space," she said.

"Well, there's the rub." Harry scowled. "I would, too. Only the Doctor jinxed it. It can only go here and where it landed in London. I was hoping that I could do something about that, but apparently the Tardis likes the Doctor more than she likes me. So she's brought this upon herself."

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine; he talked about the Tardis as if it were alive: a living thing that he hated. And she was learning enough to know that not just machines but anyone who got in Harry's way, 'brought it upon themselves' in his eyes.

"I think… I'll go out for some fresh air," she said, as casually as possible. "Bit stuffy in here." Not that the air was very fresh this far in the future, but she couldn't stand being around him.

"Watch yourself." Harry kissed her, on the cheek thankfully. "Oh, wait!" She turned to look back at him.

"You do know that the Tardis is really, actually bigger on the inside, right?"

Lucy looked at him as if he had gone mad. "What do you mean? Of course I know that."

"Well, it isn't just the console room… it's huge. Rooms and rooms and rooms, anything you could want."

_Well, thanks for telling me that _after_ I find out you've turned it into some stupid paradox machine. _"Oh?"

"Why don't you… go up there, turn left, and open the yellow door." Why did he sound so… shy?

"All right," she said slowly.

The yellow door didn't seem very inviting, but she opened it and looked inside. The room looked like a clothing shop, filled with row upon row of garments of all types. Most were arranged neatly, but the hooks on the wall had random items of clothing hung on them. However, her attention almost immediately drawn to a mannequin near the front of the room, and the dress displayed on it. A wedding dress.


	6. The Doctor

**Chapter Six**

**The Doctor**

Lucy stumbled backwards out of the room, her mind whirling. She hadn't asked for this; all she had wanted was a little more excitement. Now she was going to be forced to marry a madman. She began walking at a slow pace back to the console room. Well, if he had chosen her, then perhaps there was a reason. She had calmed him down earlier; maybe she could do him good, change him. He couldn't be all bad, or completely mad. And the promises he had made! She would have to be a stoic for her heart not to reach out and wish, just a little, to be at the side of the most powerful man on earth. When she saw him, she smiled.

"Well, what did you think?" he asked.

"It's beautiful," she said, and meant it.

"Well, then, go on and do what you want. But remember to stay out of the way of the Doctor and his friends."

"All right, Harry."

She went outside the compound and wandered about for a bit. The sky was dark; it seemed to be dark all the time here. She longed for sunshine and wondered how long it would be before they were back in her own time. Then there was a commotion at the gates; three men and a woman were pelting as hard as they could with a pack of howling people behind them. The guards told them to show their teeth, and they did so, looking back rather frantically at the horde that came closer and closer. Lucy stepped back into the shadows and watched as the foursome slipped through the gate. One of the men was like the rest of the refugees: dirty, with ragged clothes and the face of a man who had lived in poverty and uncertainty. Another man was tall and broad-shouldered; as Harry had said, he looked like a superhero. The third man was also tall, but more slender and with a face that Lucy could hardly look away from. It was very intense for a moment, but as soon as the danger was past it relaxed and he began looking around him with undisguised curiosity. She would have said childish curiosity, because she had rarely seen such a look on adults, but he was anything but a child. Then she locked eyes with the lone woman in the group; she could have sworn that Martha Jones was staring right at her. She attempted a smile, but the woman turned away as if she had seen nothing.

Lucy wanted desperately to get closer to this strange trio, especially to the Doctor, but he was striding away with his companions close behind, and Harry would kill her (probably literally) if she drew _his_ attention. So she gazed after them, a part of her wishing that it had been the Doctor instead of Harry that had turned up near her car in a blue box.

"Lucy!"

Her head jerked up from the table; she had fallen asleep from boredom.

"Lucy!" Harry's voice was very insistent.

"What is it?"

"You have to get onboard the rocket. Now. Everyone is loading up."

She rubbed her eyes; she felt disoriented. "What about the - the … Tardis?"

"I'm taking care of that. Go! Board on the second level of the rocket."

She ran to catch up with the line of refugees who were boarding the second level. The interior was very stark, lit dimly so that she could only make out row upon row of crates fastened to the walls, and seats where already parents were strapping their children and themselves. Lucy looked around, a bit nervous. Did Harry expect her to wait for him, or to take a seat and hope he found her?

"Oh, come on," she whispered. "Come on before I have to make up my mind."

He was not showing up, so she finally sat down near the walkway and buckled up. The chair leaned back so she could sleep; there was a fold-out tray, and a compartment for personal belongings. She deposited her bag of dressy clothes in the compartment and kept her eye out for Harry.

She must have drifted off to sleep for a while, because she woke to find Harry sitting beside her, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. _Tap-tap tap-tap. Tap-tap tap-tap._ He smiled when he saw her looking at him.

"Blast off in two minutes," he said. "Are you ready to see Utopia?"

"I don't know. Have you been there?"

"Not yet. I have no idea what we'll find."

They sat in silence as the two minutes ticked by. Lucy grew increasingly nervous; she wanted to get up and run away. How could Utopia be any different from this place? If there were no stars here, then wouldn't the stars have disappeared everywhere else?

"Harry," she whispered. "Harry, I'm not so sure… I want to do this. I don't think I want to go."

"It's too late," he said. He reached out and took her hand, and a shock, almost electric, went up her arm. "My Lucy is brave, isn't she?"

She swallowed. "Yes. Yes, Harry."

"Good."

With a rush and a roar, the rocket launched. Lucy's heart went into her throat and she somehow wrenched her hand from Harry's grasp to cover her ears as the sudden change in air pressure made her head feel as if it would explode. Then the pressure leveled out and she breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that Harry was laughing almost maniacally.

"Harry? Harry, are you alright?"

He didn't answer, so she shook him by the arm. "Harry?"

He continued laughing until she was frightened. "Harry! For goodness sake, answer me!"

Finally, he stopped and looked at her with a wild look in his eyes. "Slap my cheek."

"What?" She drew as far away as the seat would allow her. He must be out of his mind completely at last.

"Do it! Hurry!" There was desperation in his voice. She lifted her hand and gave him a solid smack in the face. He gasped, as if cold water had been dashed on him. The crazy look was gone and he was breathing hard.

"What happened?" asked Lucy, shaking all over.

"The blast-off affected my ears. Unexpected; I could have prevented it if I'd thought about it."

_Your ears?_ Lucy thought. _More like your brain._ "Oh," was all she said. "Glad you're all right."

The flight went on and on and on. Lucy was sick of sitting still, sick of Harry's snoring, sick of the crying and complaining of young children, sick of everything that had to do with where she was. There was no one to talk to, nothing to read, nothing to see. Apparently the future didn't have television. Scratch that, the future didn't have _anything_. Humanity seemed to have divided into two groups: the survivors, and the hunters. Why anyone would want to survive in a world like this, she had no idea. No stars, no sun, no moon, no beauty. She wished she had never met Harold Saxon; that her life had gone on being normal, without ever suspecting that billions of years in the future humans would be dying off like flies in a sunless world.

"Passengers!" came a voice over a loudspeaker. "We are in sight of Utopia!"

There was a breathless silence, and then spontaneous cheers came from everyone old enough to understand. Lucy looked around at the weary, dirty faces and hoped for their sakes that Utopia was everything they could wish for. But she sincerely doubted it was.


	7. Utopia

**Chapter Seven**

**Utopia**

The rocket landed, and the landing was none too smooth. Lucy gritted her teeth as it jolted to a halt, but all the other passengers (besides Harry) were talking excitedly.

"Come on, Lucy," Harry said, unbuckling. "Let's have a look, shall we? Make sure it's safe."

She nodded and followed him out onto the small walkway on the outside of the rocket. The rocket had touched down on a landing pad, apparently, but it was completely deserted. No lights, no people, no holograms welcoming them to Utopia. And the silence; the horrible, horrible silence, as of a place where no one had ever lived and no one ever would.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered. "Take me home, Harry."

"Nonsense." His smile, meant to be reassuring, only made him look like a madman. "Let's explore. There's a landing pad, which means that someone had to build it. Possibly no one was expecting us."

By now everyone else was filing out of the rocket, looking around and murmuring in fearful or disappointed voices.

Outside of the landing pad, there was some light, but it was horribly dreary. As she looked up, Lucy saw that the light came from a planet, not far from this one judging by how large it looked, and the planet was breaking apart. Burning. All around her was a wasteland; the remains of a city crumbling into ruin. She stumbled over something and bent to look at it. Bones; the bones of a child, if the size meant anything. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep back a scream.

Harry took her arm firmly. "Get a grip, Lucy. What did you expect trillions of years in your future? Peaceful hamlets full of sheep and laughing kids? This is it; this is the beginning of the end of the universe, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. How does it make you feel?"

"Empty," she replied. "Everything comes to this in the end. What's the point in anything that we do?"

She did not see his smile. "Exactly. Now you understand why I took you here, don't you?"

"No." Her voice was flat and dull. "And I don't care."

"I'm going to save all these people that came with us, the last of the human race. Look at them; what's here for them? They will be willing, ecstatic, to serve me. Now, let's go get the Tardis. We have work to do."


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Lucy listens to the Doctor for a year. Whenever Harry isn't around, she sits beside him and he talks. He tells her of the worlds he has seen, the beauty of the universe. His words are vivid, and she can picture everything clearly in her mind. Slowly, she feels the despair and darkness with which Harry covered her soul begin to fall away. So what if the universe ends that way? She'll never live to see it again, and there is so much beauty _now_. There is even beauty in the Doctor, aged as he has been; wisdom in his eyes, compassion in his voice.

So when she sees Harry, sniveling, cowardly Harry, and realizes that he will never pay for his crimes, something in her snaps. He took her and used her; used her for no reason. He didn't even need her. He deadened her soul and stole her joy and youthfulness, and he killed millions. He deserves nothing less than a bullet. So she stoops down and picks up the abandoned gun, and she fires. _Goodbye, Harry, and good riddance._

**A/N - At first I envisioned this story as covering the period of eighteen months in which Harold Saxon took over England, but I realized that that was too ambitious, so I decided to just limit it to the first few days of interaction between Harry and Lucy, and hopefully explain a few things in a canonical way. I hope it's been enjoyable (if dark), and I'd love you hear your thoughts on it. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
